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Waite expected to face job cuts: union

The public sector union says work done by the CSIRO at Waite Campus in Adelaide will be affected by a plan to cut 200 jobs nationally.

The research organisation is considering cutting jobs to achieve budget savings, with positions set to go from science and administration areas.

Union official Sam Popovski from the CPSU said it was unclear how many jobs might go in SA.

But he believed the Land and Water Division at the Urrbrae campus would be affected.

"The division that does a lot of environmental science and urban water research, that type of work is looking like it will be cut and potentially disproportionately to other research areas in CSIRO, so we are concerned about the impact on CSIRO staff at the Waite Campus," he said.

Mr Popovski said government funding did not meet operational cost increases and the CSIRO was struggling to make up the difference from industry.

"Companies for example in the mining industry are starting to roll back some of the research and development funding including the funding they have with the CSIRO in partnership," he said.

"There is a lag effect that is now coming into play in terms of the effect of the global financial crisis and particularly the high Australian dollar and commodity price issue."